World Series 2015 Reaction

I thought 2014 was pretty memorable, and historic. But 2015, topped that by miles.

From my favorite player, Alex Gordon’s super human foul ball catch, more epic comebacks, our Swiss Army knife Ben Zobrist, and lastly Michael Jackson dance moves on the mound from Yordano Ventura, when he uses that big sweeping curveball to make hitters look foolish.

Unlike last year, this year was all about unfinished business. They were on top of the baseball world from beginning to end and out to prove they were no fluke.

And then once we hit the playoffs, the Royals toyed with the Astros. After the eighth-inning of ALDS Game 4, IT WAS ON! I would never mock anybody, but I wondered if the Royals were like, let’s spot them some runs so they can feel good about themselves. Haha. Or maybe it was the karma the Texas Governor brought upon them when he prematurely posted on social media about an Astros series victory. Then Kendrys Morales' homer sealed the deal on our way to advancing to the ALCS in the next game.

That brings us to the glorious World Series Game 5. The Mets left Matt Harvey in for one inning too long! Finally! After years of suffering as a Kansas City sports fan from the Chiefs, and Royals.

Kansas City is title town USA.

2015 KC Royals Projected World Series Depth Chart

Oh… How this moment feels like déjà vu! This particular moment in time is the culmination of a 9-year turnaround. It began with bringing in Dayton Moore as our new GM from the Atlanta Braves and his player personnel staff in 2006. Then hiring Ned Yost from the Atlanta Braves as a consultant in 2009, and then making him Manager in 2010. The significance of these 2 hires? The Atlanta Braves have been consistently good since the nineties. All those front office people who went to the Braves in the late eighties, grew up by putting the Royals of the seventies and eighties together. So, in baseball terms I guess things have come full circle. Now, with that being said, this current crop of Royals came together in 2012, and they started playing together in 2013, which led to the climax of 2014, as I’ve mentioned before. This is the greatest event in the last 10 years of KC Royals baseball. Let’s make it one to remember fellas.

As always, there are 162 games in a season for each team. That’s one every day starting usually the 1^st Sunday in April, and going until the last day of September. Playoffs and the World Series are in October. There are 25 men on the roster. Whenever a game is rained out, or postponed due to lightning, they play what’s called a doubleheader to make up for the game that was lost the day before. So, for those days, teams are allotted a 26th man for the doubleheader. And the last month of September is when the roster is expanded to 40 for the month. The whole goal is to win a series at a time, against the team you play 3 or 4 times in a row until the end of the season. If you win more than 90 games total, you usually make the playoffs.

… Also, baseball is divided into 2 leagues with 15 teams each. They’re differentiated by the Designated Hitter in the American League (a position player only bats for the pitcher and never plays defense), and in the National League, the pitcher bats last in the batting order. Someday soon, I have a feeling both leagues will have a universal DH because the pitchers don’t practice batting very often and are always an easy out. I also believe, much like the DH, the 26th man will be permanent years from now.
 

Here is my projected 2015 KC Royals World Series Roster:

Starting Lineup:
LF: Alex Gordon *favorite current KC Royal position player
CF: Lorenzo Cain
RF: Alex Rios
3B: Mike Moustakas
SS: Alcides Escobar
2B: Ben Zobrist
1B/DH: Eric Hosmer
C: Salvador Perez

Batting Order:
1. Alcides Escobar
2. Ben Zobrist
3. Lorenzo Cain
4. Eric Hosmer
5. Kendrys Morales
6. Mike Moustakas
7. Salvador Perez
8. Alex Gordon
9. Alex Rios

Bench:
OF: Jarrod Dyson
OF: Paulo Orlando
1B/DH: Kendrys Morales
IF: Christian Colon
C: Drew Butera
IF: Raul Mondesi

Starting Pitching Rotation:
1. Edinson Volquez
2. Johnny Cueto
3. Yordano Ventura *favorite current KC Royal pitcher
4. Danny Duffy
5. Chris Young

Bullpen:
Kris Medlen
Luke Hochevar
Franklin Morales
Kelvin Herrera
Ryan Madson *Set up man
Wade Davis *Closer

World Series 2014 Reaction

Growing up in the nineties and 2000s, the Royals would lose 100 games every year out of 162 in the regular season. These were not like the great teams of the seventies and eighties led by George Brett. Oh sure we had good players, but we were basically everybody’s AAAA team. Players would get good, and then want to leave for bigger markets. But finally we started getting good around 2013, and everybody on the current roster came up around 2012.

The epic nature of the wildcard game against our former team, the Athletics (moved from KC to Oakland in 1968. Then the Royals became an expansion franchise in 1969), was alone enough to write legends about. Especially after we wallowed in mediocrity for so many years.

Then the historian in me thought to himself, this has got to be our year, when Alex Gordon was on 3^rd base, with Salvador Perez up at bat in Game 7. All we needed was 90 more feet. It’s the scenario you dream up playing pickup baseball games with your friends in the backyard. Until Joe Buck’s new man crush Madison Bumgardner came in to save the day.

The San Francisco Giants may have won the World Series. Which they seem to do every other year under current management. But I personally think we put the baseball world on notice that the Royals don’t suck anymore.

I know it’s totally cliché in sports, when players and coaches say there’s always next year, but I really do feel like next year will definitely be our year. Sometimes, you learn more from defeat, then you do from victory.

2014 KC Royals Projected World Series Depth Chart

Well, after the marathon that is a baseball season, the Kansas City Royals have finally become no longer the punchline to bad jokes. To say I’m excited is an understatement! I’m going to try and temper my excitement as to not wear myself out by whenever the series ends. 

Once again, for the casual to non-baseball fan, there are 162 games in a season for each team. That’s one every day starting usually the 1^st Sunday in April, and going until the last day of September. Playoffs and the World Series are in October. There are 25 men on the roster. Whenever a game is rained out, or postponed due to lightning, they play what’s called a doubleheader to make up for the game that was lost the day before. So, for those days, teams are allotted a 26th man for the doubleheader. And the last month of September is when the roster is expanded to 40 for the month. The whole goal is to win a series at a time, against the team you play 3 or 4 times in a row until the end of the season. If you win more than 90 games total, you usually make the playoffs.
 
… Also, baseball is divided into 2 leagues with 15 teams each. They’re differentiated by the Designated Hitter in the American League (a position player only bats for the pitcher and never plays defense), and in the National League, the pitcher bats last in the batting order. Someday soon, I have a feeling both leagues will have a universal DH because the pitchers don’t practice batting very often and are always an easy out. I also believe, much like the DH, the 26th man will be permanent years from now.
 
I really hope we don’t just go to the World Series and fall flat on our faces. I hope we make it a great series for the Giants. I want it to be 1 of those World Series that people talk about for ages.
 
Here is my projected 2014 KC Royals World Series Roster:
 
Starting Lineup:
LF: Alex Gordon *favorite current KC Royal position player
CF: Lorenzo Cain
RF: Norichika Aoki
3B: Mike Moustakas
SS: Alcides Escobar
2B: Omar Infante
1B/DH: Eric Hosmer
C: Salvador Perez
 
2014 World Series Batting Order:
1. Alcides Escobar
2. Norichika Aoki
3. Lorenzo Cain
4. Eric Hosmer
5. Billy Butler
6. Alex Gordon
7. Salvador Perez
8. Mike Moustakas
9. Omar Infante
 
Bench:
OF: Jarrod Dyson
OF: Terrance Gore
1B/DH: Billy Butler
C: Erik Kratz
OF: Josh Willingham
IF: Jayson Nix
 
Starting Pitching Rotation:
1. James Shields
2. Yordano Ventura
3. Danny Duffy
4. Jason Vargas
5. Jeremy Guthrie
 
Bullpen:
Tim Collins
Brandon Finnegan
Jason Frasor
Kelvin Herrera
Wade Davis *Set up man
Greg Holland *Closer

Brad Freeman's All-Time Baseball Legends Team

My all-time baseball legends team:

LF Ted Williams (Boston Red Sox)

CF Willie Mays (New York/San Francisco Giants)

RF Hank Aaron (Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves)

3B Mike Schmidt (Philadelphia Phillies)

SS Cal Ripken Jr. (Baltimore Orioles)

2B Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs)

1B Lou Gehrig (New York Yankees)

C Johnny Bench (Cincinnati Reds)

P Babe Ruth (Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees) *94 wins before all the homers

DH Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds)

Try facing that lineup. What do you think baseball oriented friends?